The Snapshot
Located in the premier shopping and dining district of St. Armands Circle, this dual-level commercial buildout represents a flagship location for Tommy Bahama. Holliday Group was contracted to simultaneously construct a pristine retail store on the ground floor and a full-service, high-end restaurant on the second level. Executing two distinct commercial models within a single footprint required rigorous logistical control, strict adherence to corporate brand guidelines, and an agile management approach to keep both phases perfectly aligned.
The Challenge: Reconciling Dual Timelines with Active Design Pivots
Building a high-end retail space and a commercial restaurant simultaneously presents unique logistical hurdles. The mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) requirements for a commercial kitchen are vastly more complex than those for a retail floor, yet both had to be vertically integrated without delaying either timeline. Furthermore, St. Armands Circle is a dense, high-traffic tourist district, making heavy material staging and delivery highly restricted.
Beyond the physical site constraints, the project required flawless execution of Tommy Bahama’s strict corporate brand standards. During the build, the corporate design team requested multiple mid-construction changes to the interior finish details and spatial layouts. In commercial construction, late-stage design pivots can easily derail a tight schedule, disrupt subcontractor sequencing, and cause costly delays if not managed with exact precision.
The Strategy: Integrated Construction and On-Site Collaboration
To combat the complexities of a dual-level build, Holliday Group deployed an integrated building approach. Rather than treating the retail and restaurant spaces as sequential projects, our project managers synchronized the schedules, carefully overlapping commercial trades to maximize daily site activity safely across both floors.
To handle the mid-construction design changes, we eliminated standard communication lags by working directly hand-in-hand with Tommy Bahama’s designers on-site. When a corporate design pivot was requested, our team immediately field-verified the logistical feasibility, translated the aesthetic changes into actionable steps for our subcontractors, and seamlessly integrated the new details into the active build. This proactive, on-the-ground problem-solving ensured that aesthetic adjustments were absorbed into the workflow without ever compromising the overarching timeline.
The Result: Simultaneous Delivery and Flawless Brand Execution
By maintaining a tight grip on site logistics and fostering direct collaboration with the corporate design team, Holliday Group delivered both the ground-floor retail store and the second-story restaurant at the exact same time. We successfully navigated the restrictive footprint of St. Armands Circle and perfectly executed the brand’s exact specifications. The result is a premier, dual-purpose commercial space that allowed Tommy Bahama to open its doors on schedule and immediately capitalize on both retail and hospitality revenue streams.
Contact Holliday Group today to plan your next commercial buildout.
